DM850 Spiritual Formation Unit

EM 850 (3 Credit Hours) Race, Culture, and Ministry Houston Graduate School of Theology The mission of Houston Graduate School of Theology is empowering spiritual leadership through the intellectual, spiritual, and vocational development of men and women in order to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Professor: Michael Emerson, PhD Dates: Allyn & Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology July 9-11, 2012 Director, Kinder Instit. for Urban Research Contact Info: [email protected], 713-348-4448

Course Description: An exploration into the topics of race, ethnicity, culture, and faith. The course will look at how these have become intertwined, the ways in which faith can be compromised, sociological realities, and biblical and theological models for restoring right relationships and structures.

Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will: 1. Understand the linkages between race, ethnicity, culture, and religion. 2. Analyze biblical perspectives on the above issues. 3. Gain a theological and sociological grasp of multiracial/ethnic/cultural congregations. 4. Have a basic understanding of how to put into practice the course topics in the local church context. 5. Participate in group discussion regarding these often complex issues.

Required Texts: Anderson, David A. Gracism: The Art of Inclusion. IVP, 2007.

Boesak, Allan Aubrey, and Curtiss Paul DeYoung. Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism. Orbis Books, 2012. (We will be reading page proofs since this book is not yet published. More information forthcoming.) Skip chapter 6.

Branson, Mark Lau, and Juan F. Martínez. Churches, Cultures, and Leadership: A Practical Theology of Congregations and Ethnicities. IVP Academic, 2011. Skip Chapter 3.

DeYoung, Emerson, Kim, and Yancey. United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregations as a Response to the Problem of Race. Oxford University Press, 2003. Skip Chapter 3.

Emerson, Michael O., and Christian Smith. Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Rah, Soong-Chan. The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing Your Church from Western Cultural Captivity. IVP Books, 2009. Skip Chapters 3 and 5. Topic Coverage during Our Time Together: Monday: Race, Culture, and Religious Complexities Divided by Faith/Next Evangelicalism Tuesday: Multiracial Congregations and God’s Work United by Faith/Radical Reconciliation Wednes: Intercultural Relations, Perspectives, Methods Gracism/Churches, Cultures, Leadership

Pre-seminar Assignment: Due July 9, 2012 1. Read the assigned books, skipping the noted chapters (to keep your reading reasonable). 2. Write a 10- to 12-page academic essay in which you: a. Compare and contrast the arguments/contents of the six books. What themes run through the books? Where do they differ or contrast in perspectives? b. Discuss what you have most learned from these readings/what you see as of most value for your ministry, church, or Christian life. c. Discuss your main questions/critiques of the works. This does not have to cover all six books, just the ones you have questions about or critiques of.

For an example of (c), perhaps you very much disagree with one or two books in particular—discuss with what you disagree and why. Or perhaps you found a particular portion of a book difficult to understand, or leaving you with less information/ explanation than you hoped for—in such a case, discuss this, including what you do not understand or what you wished was included.

***NOTE: It is more than fine to critique/question a book that happens to have the instructor’s name on it. 

Post-seminar Assignment: Due September 15, 2012 Write a 20- to 25-page academic essay, with an introduction, body with subheadings, and a substantive conclusion, in which you analyze (a) where you, your church community, and your “culture” as a whole are in and out of balance in relation to the topics covered in this course, and (b) what types of changes, if any, you wish to institute (in the case of your culture, you personally may not be able to effect change, but you would still describe what types of change you believe are needed). Be sure to substantiate your statements. To provide clarity and specificity to your thought in responding to (a) and (b), in your paper address the following questions: How do you define race, ethnicity, and culture? Are they synonyms or do they differ? As Christians, what should we do with “race?” Should we ignore it, claim it doesn’t exist, essentialize it, celebrate it, or . . . ? What is (are) the fundamental problem(s) for our topics under study—race, class, cultural misunderstandings, broken relationships, twisted social structures? Ultimately, what should be the focus of the Church in these areas—both the local bodies and the Church universal?

Your “culture” may be your denomination, your ethnic affiliations, “American” culture, Western culture, or other. Specify which “culture” you plan to address. For your paper, you must cite at least eight researched sources beyond the books read in class, including at least two recent journal articles. Turabian-style footnoting and bibliography are required.